The protests against the election results continued for the second day in Russia

December 07, 2011, 13:36 UTC+3The rally on the Triumfalnaya Square resulted in massive detentions and beating

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MOSCOW, December 7 (Itar-Tass) — On Tuesday, the non-systemic opposition has taken another attempt to hold a protest action against falsified, according to them, the election results in the State Duma. The rally, the responsibility for which no political force assumed, raised unprecedented agitation: people were protesting for more than three hours. Meanwhile, the law enforcers acted particularly toughly and detained the protesters during this period of time. The rally on the Triumfalnaya Square resulted in massive detentions and beating.

The protesters were confronted with activists of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi, which were protected by police, on the square. The protest actions were also held in the regions.

The police attempted to detain the Yabloko Party leader, Sergei Mitrokhin, among the first protesters, the Moskovsky Komsomolets writes. The politician noted that he came on the square in solidarity with the detainees during an unauthorized march to the Central Election Commission building on Monday. Then about 300 people were brought to various Moscow police stations. On Tuesday, the situation recurred. Over 250 people were detained almost immediately, including Mitrokhin. Without any explanations and accusations Mitrokhin was released, as well as Boris Nemtsov, who was detained on the Triumfalnaya Square.

On December 6, the protesters, who gathered on the square, chanted the same slogans as on Monday: “Return the elections to us!” and various anti-governmental slogans, the newspaper noted. The most active protesters were immediately detained and brought to the police stations. The cries “For what?” were voiced on the square from time to time and several seconds later their fellow protesters cried out “Shame on you!” The mob started to chant immediately.

Kommersant journalist Alexander Chernykh, who was on a media mission, was beaten, the newspaper reported. “Two policemen in helmets with sticks came up to me, one of them hit me on the leg unexpectedly. I said that I am a journalist and on a media mission. I was detained and was pushed into the police patrol car. A policeman stepped with one leg on my chest, the second one stepped on my legs and crashed on them. Then they went out, the police car drove back and I was released. I asked to tell me the surnames of those, who beat me. They kept smiling and said that this will be the libel against the police,” the journalist said about his detention.

The initiative to meet on the Triumfalnaya Square was made on Tuesday morning in the social networks, and it is impossible to say who its initiator was, the newspaper noted. A nationalist, Vladimir Basmanov, and a State Duma deputy from Just Russia, Ilia Ponomarev, also appealed to go on the square. The patrols of the Interior Troops were brought to the square back on Tuesday morning and cordoned it on Tuesday afternoon. No less than 2,000 activists of Nashi, the United Russia Young Guard and Locals gathered by 7 p.m. on the Triumfalnaya Square. They were beating the drams and chanting “Russia!” Representatives of the pro-Kremlin youth attacked the oppositionists near the metro station.

The police was obviously instructed to detain Ilia Ponomarev. He was detained as soon as he appeared on the square. He was fighting and said about his deputy immunity, but they answered to him: “Hooligan!” and brought to the police station. Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin rolled out the Russian national flag and was brought to the police car with the flag. The police started to detain all protesters. The police detained Other Russia leader Eduard Limonov, chief of the Memorial society Oleg Orlov and PARNAS co-chairman Boris Nemtsov.

The protesters lit up smoking barrels, blasted the petards, launched the signal rockets and chanted “Shame on you!” at the Gostiny Dvor metro station in St. Petersburg. The protesters marched past the legislative assembly building. Over 200 people were detained, the Kommersant reports. The protest action brought together about 100 people in Yekaterinburg, some of them stuck the mouths, while the others were chanting the slogans “Russia without Putin!” and “No to unfair elections!”

On Tuesday, the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow tried the case against opposition politicians Ilia Yashin and Alexei Navalny for an unauthorized march against the unfair elections, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports. The Interior Troops were brought in Moscow on the police orders. On Tuesday, the trials against the detainees continued. Some of them were sentenced to 15 days in custody, including politician Ilia Yashin.

The law enforcement agencies were seeking to detain a Nezavisimaya Gazeta correspondent thrice. The police did not explain the reason for his detention that made frightened not only Muscovites, but also foreign tourists, the newspaper noted. International organizations responded to the events related with the elections. Amnesty International found Ilia Yashin and Alexei Navalny as prisoners of conscience (Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev were found such before). The Fitch rating agency reported the growth of political risks in Russia and a growing disappointment of people in the current political system.

“The middle class started to raise irritation and this is a very alarming signal for the authorities,” the newspaper quoted Deputy General Director of the Centre of Political Technologies Alexei Makarkin as saying. Many people refused from their support to United Russia or came to vote for the first time, feeling that they can influence something, “Many of them are feeling the discomfort over the fact that they do not see serious prospects and want “to punish” United Russia.” According to the expert, the risk of instability will be running higher after the presidential elections, because the government will have to take unpopular economic measures. “United Russia will not regain the support of the middle class, as “ Putin’s majority” has split,” he said. The State Duma elected on December 4 has a very weak legitimacy in the eyes of people, who did not vote for United Russia, the political scientist concluded.